Letters to the Editor: Nov. 28, 2021

Tax abatement an important tool for our economy

On Dec. 7, Port St. Lucie residents will have the opportunity to ensure that the creation of quality high-paying jobs in the city continues by voting “yes” for reauthorization of an important business recruitment tool.

Originally planned as a retirement community without a commercial or employment base, Port St. Lucie has come a long way. But with more than 60% of the workforce out-commuting every day, more work needs to be done.

We in St. Lucie County have been fortunate in recent years to have a thriving community with good job growth and a diversifying economy, particularly during a time when many other regions have been struggling.

It wasn’t that long ago, however, when our county’s economy was suffering through the Great Recession. The impact on St. Lucie County was much worse than many other areas because our employment and economic base was very limited.

Since then our elected officials and the Economic Development Council have worked hard to attract companies here, which are beginning to make a big difference in diversifying the local economy.

One of the most important tools used to attract and retain large, stable employers is the tax abatement. This tool is used across the state and needs to be reauthorized by voters every 10 years, as was recently done in neighboring counties.

As part of a jobs and investment package, companies can get city taxes temporarily reduced on new facilities and equipment. This helps offset the overall cost of these capital investments, which run into the millions of dollars, and keeps this county competitive for job attraction.

These new companies still pay thousands of dollars in taxes for our schools, fire and other agencies — money we wouldn’t have at all if they chose to locate elsewhere.

Maddie Williams, Port St. Lucie

Tax abatement programs bring new jobs for PSL

The city of Port St. Lucie is asking voters to renew a very important business recruitment tool that allows the City Council to temporarily reduce city taxes for businesses that create new, higher-paying jobs and make significant new capital investments in the city.

The purpose of this tool is not to recruit these businesses to attract new growth and a higher population. Rather, this time-limited tax abatement helps create new jobs that pay above the county’s average wage for those who already live here — and for their children in the future.

Currently, more than 70,000 PSL residents travel outside of the city to go to work. When they leave, so does their spending power. That is money that our community and local business owners will never receive.

This tool will not increase your property taxes. In fact, because the companies are making significant investments in our community on which they will pay other taxes, like school taxes, payments made by these businesses can contribute to the reduction of homeowners’ property taxes by funding schools and helping pay down voter-approved debt that homeowners would otherwise need to fund.

For example, TAMCO (which has received this limited tax abatement) paid $38,146 this year toward the Crosstown Parkway debt. Since that debt is a set amount, that’s $38,146 Port St. Lucie homeowners will never have to pay.

I encourage you to vote "yes" on the tax abatement referendum to help create jobs for our Port St. Lucie residents.

Staci Storms, Port St. Lucie

Special legislative session called to defy science

I am distressed that during the height of the pandemic when many of our 60,000+ fellow Floridians were dying from COVID 19, there was no special session to address how best to mitigate the spread of the disease.

Yet a special session was called to defy science, denigrate the extensive research and data accumulated on the best practices to defeat the disease. The bills passed during the special session will put more Floridians at risk,

Surely, more deaths will result if fewer masks are worn, more people remain unvaccinated and businesses continue to be exempted from accountability if the bad practices the governor is promoting result in illness and death.

One of the bills actually will grant unemployment benefits to workers who quit rather than take a shot. Bills like that and the special session itself are clear demonstrations of gross fiscal irresponsibility.

Furthermore, the suggestion that our state is above federal law, that our attorney general can seek to codify her impunity from wrongdoing, and that businesses can operate unsafely in defiance of common sense environmental and workplace safety is to put every state resident at unnecessary risk.

These extremist responses are totally inappropriate for a government to undertake if it has any regard for public health and safety. Clearly, Gov. Ron DeSantis has no regard for the health and well-being of Florida residents.

Felicia Bruce, Fort Pierce

America, stop buying Chinese and Russian goods

I was disappointed when I read that China and Russia did not even attend the recent global climate summit. Climate change remains one of the largest threats to Florida's way of life.

I propose we stop purchasing Chinese and Russian goods. I think the only thing we buy from Russia is vodka. We buy an enormous amount of goods from China.

There is a growing consensus that good patriotic Americans must be involved if the world is to avoid catastrophic global warming.

Tom Tomlinson, Palm City

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Letters to the Editor: Nov. 28, 2021